Red balloons, vulva-shaped cakes, tampons and sanitary napkins as gifts or decorations… The Period Party is increasingly trendy in the United States. While organizing a party to celebrate your daughter’s first period has the advantage of breaking the taboo of menstruation, this event can also be intrusive. Midwife Cécile de Williencourt gives us her opinion.
Period parties in French) come straight from the United States, where they appeared a few years ago. If they have spread to other countries, notably in the United Kingdom where they are more and more frequent, parties for first period remain rather rare in France. However, depending on the culture, it is an ancestral tradition: in India, Japan or Egypt, the first menstruation means that young girls become women of childbearing age. These period parties that have become trends today consist of celebrate a teenager’s first period with lots of red balloons, cupcakes in the shape of vulvas, and other cakes decorated with tampons covered in fake blood.
Break the taboo and celebrate an important milestone in life
According to Cécile de Williencourt, midwife specializing in the female cycle, organizing a Period party allows you to celebrate an important milestone in life. “There is a real milestone for young girls that it is important to mark, without necessarily having a big party, but to have a positive vision of the menstrual cycle”, she emphasizes. Another strong point of Period Parties: they help show that periods are not a taboo subject. This normalizes talking about it, not hiding. This can also be an opportunity to broach the subject with other young girls present, who are not yet menstruating, or who are, but who have received little information on this subject.
A controversial trend that may seem intrusive for young girls
This intrusive side which can cause embarrassment must however be respected: even a teenager who easily talks about this type of subject will not necessarily want to shout from the rooftops what is happening in her body. “You shouldn’t make rules a taboo, but you must respect your personal space.”, recalls Cécile de Williencourt. In addition, we must not forget that some menstruate very young and that a 10-year-old child, who is a little shy, may not find it funny to explode a piñata in the shape of a tampon. Also, if you want to throw a party for your daughter’s first period, whatever form it takes, she has to agree.
Celebrate a period party correctly
Cécile de Williencourt also explains to us that the American-style period parties that we can see on social networks are often exuberant. Gold, “in France, we are not yet at that point.” Regarding first period parties inspired by ancestral cultures, our expert advises not to imitate them if you are not part of this culture, because it will not be appropriate, neither for the participants nor for the teenager . “Let’s celebrate, but let’s celebrate with justice“underlines the specialist.
What alternatives to the period party to celebrate your daughter’s first period?
If the teenager doesn’t want a party for her first period, that’s her choice and it must be respected. On the other hand, our expert believes that it is “necessary not to make it a non-event”. You can also celebrate your daughter’s first period in a simple way:
- Go out with friends or family
- Organize a sleepover
- Take a shopping day
- Go to the spa
- Do an activity that will help relieve the stress linked to menarche (axe throwing, karaoke, amusement park, etc.)
- Go to the restaurant
- Offer a plant
- Choose a piece of jewelry or a gift that will mark this stage of life
- Take part in a period workshop, for example those organized by CycloShow and Kiffe ton cycle (also open to young girls who have not yet got their period)
Thanks to Cécile de Williencourt, midwife specializing in the female cycle and author of Your body, a treasure! – Guide to understanding the changes of puberty (Mame editions).